victoria
Well-Known Member
Ralph is one of my two rescued lab rats. They were 'extras' at a local vet tech program and were going to be euthanized but one of the students worked hard to get them surrendered to the SPCA. I adopted two, I wish I could have taken more but I just didn't have the space or money at the time. I'm trying to limit my adoptions right now to older/special needs rats so that I can take more next year if we can convince them no to euthanize again.
From day one the boys were very different. They were also huge, the size of adult males at the age of 3.5-4 months. They weren't well socialized (expected) but they didn't act like typical nervous rats. They did not have an aggressive bone in their body but boy were they loud when they were play fighting. A few times I had to get up to check on them at 4 am to make sure they weren't killing each other. I used to stick my hand right in between them when they were in the middle of an all out squabble and they would stop immediately and look at me confused - no close calls with their teeth and my fingers, ever.
The horse play calmed down quickly after they were neutered but they were very difficult to introduce to my other rats. Almost all of them reacted poorly to them (spayed females plus one male, added later because he was sick) and it was a long, difficult intro. Even after they moved in, it was several weeks before everyone calmed down and the screaming episodes subsided.
As time went on, Ollie (the younger one) mellowed out and became more and more of a typical, social rat. They both learned to better communicate with other rats and really enjoyed their company but Ralph always had trouble accepting new rats. The last group we introduced, it took three months of living together before he stopped chasing and terrorizing the youngest female. He would never hurt her, just chase her, box her in if he caught her and huff and puff for a while. She of course would scream, which would only confuse him and get him more worked up.
About six months ago I began to wonder if there was actually something wrong with him and not just that he was an odd ball. The balance issues were the first sign, the poor boy would be standing on flat ground and lose his balance and roll over. I've lost count how many times he managed to go down the ramps on his butt. He would get worked up when the other rats would get excited to come out of the cage and I would have to catch him mid air at the beginning of out time because he would walk right off shelves. His HED has gone from moderate to severe recently, although his hind end is not paralyzed at this point. He is not even 18 months old though, so it's unsettling.
Then I realized he did the typical hydro thing when he ate. I thought I was overreacting and it was something else because his skull is not deformed but as soon as I showed the video to Shelagh she assured me I was not. I'm not certain if he always did it and I thought it was part of his charm but I would say it's gotten worse with age. It also varies from day to day how pronounced the mannerisms are, the video is one of his better days. He often topples over when he eats if he has not braced himself against something or someone.
I've also started to suspect he's blind or close to it. I can't begin to describe the behaviour that makes me suspect it but I will try to get a video of it.
I've been meaning to make this video for a long time but it seems that I have been dealing with non-stop back to back issues since last fall and I have not been great about taking pictures in general. Last night I discovered what I believe is a fast growing inguinal tumour and it became more of a priority. I have an appointment for him Thursday and I will likely have it removed next week. The tumour is already affecting his balance, even though it's smaller than a walnut. I emailed by vet to give him a heads up about the neuro issues, I don't think he'll have a lot of insight. It's a rare occurrence to begin with and more so that the symptoms develop in this manner.
If anyone has any input or insights, I would appreciate it. He functions pretty well despite his challenged but he's easily traumatized by everyday life. I have finally discovered that he enjoys me rubbing his head when he's in a Circus or a hammock, for some reason he doesn't panic then.
[BBvideo 450,375:2iul4u6m]http://youtu.be/vCXpKD9zpPI[/BBvideo:2iul4u6m]
From day one the boys were very different. They were also huge, the size of adult males at the age of 3.5-4 months. They weren't well socialized (expected) but they didn't act like typical nervous rats. They did not have an aggressive bone in their body but boy were they loud when they were play fighting. A few times I had to get up to check on them at 4 am to make sure they weren't killing each other. I used to stick my hand right in between them when they were in the middle of an all out squabble and they would stop immediately and look at me confused - no close calls with their teeth and my fingers, ever.
The horse play calmed down quickly after they were neutered but they were very difficult to introduce to my other rats. Almost all of them reacted poorly to them (spayed females plus one male, added later because he was sick) and it was a long, difficult intro. Even after they moved in, it was several weeks before everyone calmed down and the screaming episodes subsided.
As time went on, Ollie (the younger one) mellowed out and became more and more of a typical, social rat. They both learned to better communicate with other rats and really enjoyed their company but Ralph always had trouble accepting new rats. The last group we introduced, it took three months of living together before he stopped chasing and terrorizing the youngest female. He would never hurt her, just chase her, box her in if he caught her and huff and puff for a while. She of course would scream, which would only confuse him and get him more worked up.
About six months ago I began to wonder if there was actually something wrong with him and not just that he was an odd ball. The balance issues were the first sign, the poor boy would be standing on flat ground and lose his balance and roll over. I've lost count how many times he managed to go down the ramps on his butt. He would get worked up when the other rats would get excited to come out of the cage and I would have to catch him mid air at the beginning of out time because he would walk right off shelves. His HED has gone from moderate to severe recently, although his hind end is not paralyzed at this point. He is not even 18 months old though, so it's unsettling.
Then I realized he did the typical hydro thing when he ate. I thought I was overreacting and it was something else because his skull is not deformed but as soon as I showed the video to Shelagh she assured me I was not. I'm not certain if he always did it and I thought it was part of his charm but I would say it's gotten worse with age. It also varies from day to day how pronounced the mannerisms are, the video is one of his better days. He often topples over when he eats if he has not braced himself against something or someone.
I've also started to suspect he's blind or close to it. I can't begin to describe the behaviour that makes me suspect it but I will try to get a video of it.
I've been meaning to make this video for a long time but it seems that I have been dealing with non-stop back to back issues since last fall and I have not been great about taking pictures in general. Last night I discovered what I believe is a fast growing inguinal tumour and it became more of a priority. I have an appointment for him Thursday and I will likely have it removed next week. The tumour is already affecting his balance, even though it's smaller than a walnut. I emailed by vet to give him a heads up about the neuro issues, I don't think he'll have a lot of insight. It's a rare occurrence to begin with and more so that the symptoms develop in this manner.
If anyone has any input or insights, I would appreciate it. He functions pretty well despite his challenged but he's easily traumatized by everyday life. I have finally discovered that he enjoys me rubbing his head when he's in a Circus or a hammock, for some reason he doesn't panic then.
[BBvideo 450,375:2iul4u6m]http://youtu.be/vCXpKD9zpPI[/BBvideo:2iul4u6m]
